Premier Questions

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  • laurieann said:

    MoreTN said:

    I have had a reply from Support telling me I should now be able to sign up to Premier - but the link provided just leads to my membership page and that doesn't have any option to subscribe to Premier.

    I have been a + member in the past, and now my membership page tells me that my + membership will expire on 2022-02-21. The 'will expire' wording is odd.

    I did try to renew my + membership, hoping that would provide an upgrade path. Nothing doing. I clicked 'Continue' on the confirm page and it just took me back to the membership page, showing the same info.

    Question - how many of those people still unable to upgrade to Premier are ex + members? It could be the same system glitch is affecting many of us.

     

    Mine says my Daz+ Subscription will end on 2022-11-06 .No button to join Premier.

    Same here. No button. My subscription will end in 2022 too.

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  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,214

    well the need for Connect means I need not worry about using Premier, I was thrilled Genesis 9 works in Carrara but anything Connect sure AF doesn't

    saving my money for other stuff and leaving the discussion yes

  • crosswindcrosswind Posts: 6,973

    gfdamron1 said:

    Somewhere in all the comments in various threads, I read something about having to log into DAZ in order to activate the features of Premier. There were also some suggestions for those of us who prefer not to be logged into DAZ while we're using DS. What is the best way to do this (or perhaps a link to the discussion)?

    Before 4.23, Daz Connect is problematic with some bugs / issues. Then Daz enhanced the Connect with fixes and improvments. Now:

    - to activate plugins of Premier tier, you have to log in Connect once to activate plugins but you don't need to check Update Metadata.
    - to download bought products as well as Premier exclusive Contents, you have to log in Connect plus checking Update Metadata. However, it'll modify your customized metadata on product assets... so you still have to be cautious. For example, each time you've modified metadata for a product, remember to export the customized data to DSX file in Content DB Editor, then even if Connect messed up the customized metadata, you would be still able to re-import DSX file.

  • kyoto kidkyoto kid Posts: 41,054
    edited October 12

    crosswind said:

     

    ..Again, thank you.  This has been so bloody confusing particularly as there was no prior announcement, it just "happened" 

    One last thing, in the DIM's Product Updates  section of the Download tab, it shows Decimator for Daz 4.23+..  I checked my Product Library and purchased it back in July but apparently it was never downloaded or installed back then (I checked the DIM Installed Tab and it doesn't show up there) .  Clicking on the image for the Decimator in the Product Library pulls up the "oops" page.  So, like with dForce Companion 2.0 (which I already had installed after I bought it in 2021) it seems to have been moved from the store to become a "Premiere" plugin.  As 2.43 is apparently the first release that is compatible with the Premiere tier I'm not sure if there is anything there to download or install since I am still on "old" Daz+

    Decimator doens't go "oops", it's stilll in here https://www.daz3d.com/decimator-for-daz-studio And it has nothing to do with Premier tier but just a common plugin product, at least by now...

    I am still using 4,21,0,5 as it the last release which supports an Nvidia driver that is compatible with Win 7,  I cannot update to 2.43 until I upgrade my system to Win 11 requirements (my system is over 13 years old  [eg. DDR2 memory and PCIe 2.0]) otherwise it's back to glacial CPU rendering in Iray.

    Again this whole thing seems a bleedin' headache.

    Yeah, understood ~~ But if you do need DS 4.23 with Win11, you can install a Windows 11 on another disk or within a virtual system, then switch the bootable disks / systems... only that'll be a bit cumbersome.

    ..my bad on the decimator,  there were actually two listings for it on my Product List one that that was a beta (which was the one that opened the "oops " page), Was late last night Very early this morning and I was pretty punchy by then trying to understand all the new changes.

    As to WIn11, it requires a system motherboard that is TPM 2.0 compliant, my ancient one definitely isn't and there  is no way around that.   Also, one needs a retail version of the OS to create a VM which is more expensive than an OEM. .

    Post edited by kyoto kid on
  • crosswind said:

    y3kman said:

    crosswind said:

     

    Thanks. The product is now available for download. My suspicion was confirmed, though. The shape addon comes with a character preset that needs materials from the Toon Vicky 9 figure. Looks like it was supposed to be a permanent part of the bundle. It should've used the Base Toon G9 to avoid error reports from individuals who don't own Vicky.

    If my subscription expires and I decide to renew a few months later, will I still get access to previous Premier-exclusive items I added in my account?

    Which product ? You mean Dark Elf addon ? Where could you download it ?

    The Dark Elf shape addon is product 105315 and can be installed from Smart Content tab. To locate it, you can either click on the magnifying glass (Premier exclusive filter, key::dsp_exclusive) or sort your products by highest product ID.

    I totally forgot that I had already deleted Connect folder because Daz Connect had ever destroyed my custom metadata so I disabled it and never used it for years... Now I had to rebuid Connect folder, backup cms database, then check Update Metadata for a couple of seconds, then I got it ! Ha !

    Many thanks for the reminder !

    @Crosswind: Since I saw that Asymmetrical Cut swimsuit in your library. Does content you install via DIM (if you do) still show up in Smart Content?
    I have that Dark Elf Shape also available and installed it via Connect (Yikes!!!). But what bothers me is that the other stuff I recently (after activating Premier/installing 4.23 Beta) purchased and installed via DIM won't show up in Smart Content, always wanting me to install (again) via Connect. Although the content is there and accessible via the Content Library. 

  • y3kmany3kman Posts: 796
    edited October 12

    Rod Wise Driggo said:

    crosswind said:

    y3kman said:

    crosswind said:

     

    Thanks. The product is now available for download. My suspicion was confirmed, though. The shape addon comes with a character preset that needs materials from the Toon Vicky 9 figure. Looks like it was supposed to be a permanent part of the bundle. It should've used the Base Toon G9 to avoid error reports from individuals who don't own Vicky.

    If my subscription expires and I decide to renew a few months later, will I still get access to previous Premier-exclusive items I added in my account?

    Which product ? You mean Dark Elf addon ? Where could you download it ?

    The Dark Elf shape addon is product 105315 and can be installed from Smart Content tab. To locate it, you can either click on the magnifying glass (Premier exclusive filter, key::dsp_exclusive) or sort your products by highest product ID.

    I totally forgot that I had already deleted Connect folder because Daz Connect had ever destroyed my custom metadata so I disabled it and never used it for years... Now I had to rebuid Connect folder, backup cms database, then check Update Metadata for a couple of seconds, then I got it ! Ha !

    Many thanks for the reminder !

    @Crosswind: Since I saw that Asymmetrical Cut swimsuit in your library. Does content you install via DIM (if you do) still show up in Smart Content?
    I have that Dark Elf Shape also available and installed it via Connect (Yikes!!!). But what bothers me is that the other stuff I recently (after activating Premier/installing 4.23 Beta) purchased and installed via DIM won't show up in Smart Content, always wanting me to install (again) via Connect. Although the content is there and accessible via the Content Library. 

    Products with metadata installed using DIM will show up in the Smart Content. Do not install them again! I made this mistake a long time ago. If the product thumbnail is in color, the product is already installed. If it's in B&W/greyscaled, it's not available for use.

    Post edited by y3kman on
  • alan bard newcomeralan bard newcomer Posts: 2,199
    edited October 12

    laurieann said:

    MoreTN said:

    I have had a reply from Support telling me I should now be able to sign up to Premier - but the link provided just leads to my membership page and that doesn't have any option to subscribe to Premier.

    I have been a + member in the past, and now my membership page tells me that my + membership will expire on 2022-02-21. The 'will expire' wording is odd.

    I did try to renew my + membership, hoping that would provide an upgrade path. Nothing doing. I clicked 'Continue' on the confirm page and it just took me back to the membership page, showing the same info.

    Question - how many of those people still unable to upgrade to Premier are ex + members? It could be the same system glitch is affecting many of us.

     

    Mine says my Daz+ Subscription will end on 2022-11-06 .No button to join Premier.`

    yep same here and got the reply ... "thank you for your patience" ...
    What patience ... losing at least 5 days of one of the better sales  and I actually have a few spare bucks. 
    Patience ... I have 13,000 items I bought when times were better and I'm making some changes which should bring the spare change to spend a bunch more regularly ... but I find a distinct lack of patience and remain amazed that a hot shot sales builder who bought the company can't manage to run the business any better. << this will probably get this post deleted. 
    Don't see much point in logging in to look at stuff I can't buy ... so will probaby lose interest in buying from daz again for a while.  And some of the venders have neat stuff. 
    But I'm a full subscriber to the current marketing plan of make a big sale ... sell a bunch ... that I won't buy anything for more then a nice solid discount.
    Oh, and the 900 items in the wishlist... they're mostly to remind me that what I though I needed when I first saw it I usually discover I can live without. 
    ----
    And no I can't renew my plus so can't get any discounts 
    ---
    All of the buildings and light fixtures and ground planes etc were built in Daz .. so yes, I am interested in the new tools. 

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    Post edited by alan bard newcomer on
  • ElorElor Posts: 1,485
    edited October 12

    kyoto kid said:

    I am still using 4,21,0,5 as it the last release which supports an Nvidia driver that is compatible with Win 7,  I cannot update to 2.43 until I upgrade my system to Win 11 requirements (my system is over 13 years old  [eg. DDR2 memory and PCIe 2.0]) otherwise it's back to glacial CPU rendering in Iray.

    I don't know if Microsoft is still allowing free updates (it still did a couple of years ago when I upgraded a friend's notebook) but Windows 10 could be a solution to get access to more recent versions of Daz. Maybe you can also be able to find a dirt cheap key on the second hand market, if the free update is not possible.

    It should work on your computer: my dad's computer is an almost 15 years old Core i5 530 (it has more RAM than when he bought it and I replaced every harddrive with SSD but as its core, it's still a 2010 machine) and Windows 10 is working fine on it (I will likely replace it next year with one of these small boxed computers sold by many brands, when Windows 10 will reach EOL but in your case, you're living with an EOL OS since I don't know how many years).

    Post edited by Elor on
  • mdingmding Posts: 1,243
    edited October 12

    I updated to premier and updated both DAZ Studio and the Public Beta version. Now the Beta version works fine, but the normal version with all my other plugins looks like this (click to enlarge, first version at the top)

    The normal menu only has "File" "Window" and "Help" and when i go into the "File" Window, I only have the option "Exit". Then "Icon Menu Bar" has completely disappeared. And the menu tabs are placed on the top instead of the side of the respective workspace.

    Does anybody else have this problem or can somebody tell me how to fix that, please? Thank you!

     

    ETA: My Layout is "City Limits Lite" and I'm on Win 11.

    ETA: The log File says DStudio can't locate the menu(s) on my HDD. So I guess it was removed when I installed the public beta build. In this case I will keep the beta and delete the original. Never mind and thanks anybody in case of giving it a thought.

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    Post edited by mding on
  • crosswindcrosswind Posts: 6,973
    edited October 12

    Rod Wise Driggo said:

    crosswind said:

    y3kman said:

    crosswind said:

     

    Thanks. The product is now available for download. My suspicion was confirmed, though. The shape addon comes with a character preset that needs materials from the Toon Vicky 9 figure. Looks like it was supposed to be a permanent part of the bundle. It should've used the Base Toon G9 to avoid error reports from individuals who don't own Vicky.

    If my subscription expires and I decide to renew a few months later, will I still get access to previous Premier-exclusive items I added in my account?

    Which product ? You mean Dark Elf addon ? Where could you download it ?

    The Dark Elf shape addon is product 105315 and can be installed from Smart Content tab. To locate it, you can either click on the magnifying glass (Premier exclusive filter, key::dsp_exclusive) or sort your products by highest product ID.

    I totally forgot that I had already deleted Connect folder because Daz Connect had ever destroyed my custom metadata so I disabled it and never used it for years... Now I had to rebuid Connect folder, backup cms database, then check Update Metadata for a couple of seconds, then I got it ! Ha !

    Many thanks for the reminder !

    @Crosswind: Since I saw that Asymmetrical Cut swimsuit in your library. Does content you install via DIM (if you do) still show up in Smart Content?
    I have that Dark Elf Shape also available and installed it via Connect (Yikes!!!). But what bothers me is that the other stuff I recently (after activating Premier/installing 4.23 Beta) purchased and installed via DIM won't show up in Smart Content, always wanting me to install (again) via Connect. Although the content is there and accessible via the Content Library. 

    Yes, I installed the content via DIM and they still show in Smart Content if Log In with Update Metadata. You could not find them ? even filtered by key work or SKU number ?

    Daz Connect function has been fixed and improved in 4.23, here's the mechanism:

    - While Daz Connect Updating Metadata, it will check if the products you bought have been installed via DIM or not. There're 2 key data fields in cms database, is_installed and is_cound_owned . If already installed via DIM, it will keep is_installed = true, is_cound_owned = false, then tag an icon on the product thumbnail (white circle + triangle), shown in Screenshot 1 and 2. The thumbnail is still colorful, and the icon just tells you that the product has no content data in you local Daz Connect folder.

    - Now if you right-click on it, there's no Install option, shown in Screenshot 3. That's what Daz fixed it to prevent the product from "double-installation". IIRC, it could be installed again via Connect before.

    So, pls double-check your case ...

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    Post edited by crosswind on
  • mjmeyermjmeyer Posts: 2

    I was not really surprised to find out that the owners of DAZ obviously also want a constant cashflow and not one mainly based on selling 3D models for their platform in addition to regular DAZ Plus membership subscribers like myself. Nearly every software company must (wants to?) follow the "Adobe way", when the latter money eater company opened the box of Pandora by introducing their pricey subscription models.

    Some comments in here claim that the running DAZ Plus subscription was prematurely ended, something which I cannot confirm for mine (still running till May 2025). At the moment, it looks like as for now, we have a free base plan: just use the free DAZ Studio (sooner or later possibly limited in functions), or else additionally subscribe to DAZ Plus in order to benefit from price reduction offers for new content (where tokens run out so quickly that you have to purchase a new item nearly every 3rd day), or else pay a monthly fee which considerably adds up to a hefty USD 227.76 annually in order to using a special version of DAZ Studio Prime and benefit from higher reductions, special bundles. For those who badly need it: why not? As long as we have a choice...

    My main concern is: what about the many plug-ins which I purchased over the years? Will they still be working under DAZ Studio Prime, or will I be left alone by receiving answers like: "You purchased them at your own risk and we advise you to get in touch with the developers...". Since DAZ Studio workflow should improve when transferring stuff to Blender, I notice that Blender content makers and plug-in developers quickly react on new versions by updating their scripts and solutions, a fact which I cannot always confirm for plugins purchased for the DAZ platform.    

    Having been a DAZ customer for 24 years by now and thus having gone through many changes and mostly improvements, I still wonder what the near future brings. One is for sure: the free stuff will be on a decline, and I don't mean the weekly freebies. By introducing a paid model for DAZ Studio, there might be some interesting development, who knows. As long as DAZ does not go crazy like so many businesses in the US these days and add a fantasy service tax or ridiculous tipping fees to each and every purchase, I think I can live with the present plans.

    Should they - on the other hand - eventually switch over to a paid only software model, it will be the moment for me saying good-bye to any future version like I did with ZBrush where the owners sold their business to the German Maxon company and now charge you quite a lot. Or Allegorhythmic's Substance suite, once a great indie firm, now belonging to the money eaters from Adobe. Not to mention the formidable landscape creation software from e-on/Bentley: Vue and Plant Factory. Sales and development were stopped immediately and the software was taken off the market, BUT: It was made available to be downloaded for free and with a perpetual license. That is nice.

    As a hobbyist, I supported so many 3D companies, mostly independent or startup companies (including Pixar when they were still eperimenting with Renderman) by purchasing their products, upgrading for a moderare fee occasionally, but in the end I was somewhat disappointed to learn that they all sold their souls (and companies) to huge greedy firms and investors. The world is no longer for hobbyists and enthusiasts, unless you pay an arm and a leg for what used to be free or at least moderately priced. Let's hope for the best, here. 

     

  • crosswindcrosswind Posts: 6,973
    edited October 12

    mding said:

    I updated to premier and updated both DAZ Studio and the Public Beta version. Now the Beta version works fine, but the normal version with all my other plugins looks like this (click to enlarge, first version at the top)

    The normal menu only has "File" "Window" and "Help" and when i go into the "File" Window, I only have the option "Exit". Then "Icon Menu Bar" has completely disappeared. And the menu tabs are placed on the top instead of the side of the respective workspace.

    Does anybody else have this problem or can somebody tell me how to fix that, please? Thank you!

     

    ETA: My Layout is "City Limits Lite" and I'm on Win 11.

    ETA: The log File says DStudio can't locate the menu(s) on my HDD. So I guess it was removed when I installed the public beta build. In this case I will keep the beta and delete the original. Never mind and thanks anybody in case of giving it a thought.

    I didn't have this problem... Public Build should never touch you General Release as they locate in different folders under Program Files and AppData... but usually there're a couple of ways to fix the issue:

    - Reload a default Layout, then Window > Workspace > Update and Merge Menus.

    - If you ever saved your Layout with DS General Release, load it.

    - If your Public Build has no problem, you can save a Layout in DS Public Build, then:
    1) Fully close DS General Release. Open File Browser,  go to: %appdata%\DAZ 3D Backup the sub-folder Studio 4
    2) Go to sub-folder Studio4 Public Build, select and copy the sub-folders shown in screenshot. Paste them to the sub-folder Studio 4
    3) Relaunch DS General Release, load the Layout that you saved in Public Build. Then you DS General Release should have very same layout as the correct one in Public Build.

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    Post edited by crosswind on
  • rebelgraphxrebelgraphx Posts: 221

    Been a member since 2006 and have seen a lot of changes, some good, some bad but it has never been a problem for me. The way things are changing now however are something else, paying for content that I can't download and only can use as long as I pay and also at a higher monthly cost is a no go for me. My membership for Daz runs to the end of 2025 and that will be the end for me.

  • I tried and the only thing I keep getting is auto upgrade my membership to the $10 a month one. I am on a free membership as far as I know. I did open a ticket, but the link is showing me the same thing. 

  • Marty3DMarty3D Posts: 43
    edited October 12

    I think it is all too contentious. Lets say I have Premier and I get the Vicky bundle for free. Would I really want to spend money on all the addons or bundle extras for something I don't technically own and would lose again if I have cancelled the membership. Makes no sense at all to bother with it.

    Post edited by Marty3D on
  • thd777thd777 Posts: 943
    edited October 12

    Marty3D said:

    I think it is all too contentious. Lets say I have Premier and I get the Vicky bundle for free. Would I really want to spend money on all the addons or bundle extras for something I don't technically own and would lose again if I have cancelled the membership. Makes no sense at all to bother with it.

    @Marty3D The free bundle is just that. A extra discount for Premier members. The bundle and its content are "purchased" with the coupon but are not tied to the subscription. They are yours as any other content you buy. They only things tied to your subscription at this time are the 5 utility plugins and one extra shape for Vicky 9. 
    ciao

    TD

    Post edited by thd777 on
  • Marty3DMarty3D Posts: 43
    edited October 12

    Hmm, that's not how I'm reading it. I only have access to them as long as I am a Premier member but lose them after unsubscribing. I may of course be wrong.

    • With each Character Bundle release (2-3 per month) there will be exclusive content that will be auto-added to the accounts of Premier members at that time.  You can keep and use this content for as long as you have an active premier membership.

    This line is the contentious one.

    Yeah maybe I didn't understand this at the beginning. So the Dark Elf shape is premier only and would disappear at the end of subscription, fair enough.

     

    Post edited by Marty3D on
  • thd777thd777 Posts: 943

    Marty3D said:

    Hmm, that's not how I'm reading it. I only have access to them as long as I am a Premier member but lose them after unsubscribing. I may of course be wrong.

    • With each Character Bundle release (2-3 per month) there will be exclusive content that will be auto-added to the accounts of Premier members at that time.  You can keep and use this content for as long as you have an active premier membership.

    This line is the contentious one.

     

    @Marty3D The "exclusive content" mentioned is the Vicky 9 Dark Elf shape that you cannot buy in store and only download via Connect. The rest is a bog standard content bundle. This is als explained in the FAQ if I recall correctly. 
    ciao

    TD

  • thd777thd777 Posts: 943

    Marty3D said:

    Hmm, that's not how I'm reading it. I only have access to them as long as I am a Premier member but lose them after unsubscribing. I may of course be wrong.

    • With each Character Bundle release (2-3 per month) there will be exclusive content that will be auto-added to the accounts of Premier members at that time.  You can keep and use this content for as long as you have an active premier membership.

    This line is the contentious one.

     

    @Marty3D The "exclusive content" mentioned is the Vicky 9 Dark Elf shape that you cannot buy in store and only download via Connect. The rest is a bog standard content bundle. This is als explained in the FAQ if I recall correctly. 
    ciao

    TD

  • Marty3DMarty3D Posts: 43

    Ok thanks. I had just updated my post to indicate that but thanks again.

  • mdingmding Posts: 1,243

    crosswind said:

    mding said:

    I updated to premier and updated both DAZ Studio and the Public Beta version. Now the Beta version works fine, but the normal version with all my other plugins looks like this (click to enlarge, first version at the top)

    The normal menu only has "File" "Window" and "Help" and when i go into the "File" Window, I only have the option "Exit". Then "Icon Menu Bar" has completely disappeared. And the menu tabs are placed on the top instead of the side of the respective workspace.

    Does anybody else have this problem or can somebody tell me how to fix that, please? Thank you!

     

    ETA: My Layout is "City Limits Lite" and I'm on Win 11.

    ETA: The log File says DStudio can't locate the menu(s) on my HDD. So I guess it was removed when I installed the public beta build. In this case I will keep the beta and delete the original. Never mind and thanks anybody in case of giving it a thought.

    I didn't have this problem... Public Build should never touch you General Release as they locate in different folders under Program Files and AppData... but usually there're a couple of ways to fix the issue:

    - Reload a default Layout, then Window > Workspace > Update and Merge Menus.

    - If you ever saved your Layout with DS General Release, load it.

    - If your Public Build has no problem, you can save a Layout in DS Public Build, then:
    1) Fully close DS General Release. Open File Browser,  go to: %appdata%\DAZ 3D Backup the sub-folder Studio 4
    2) Go to sub-folder Studio4 Public Build, select and copy the sub-folders shown in screenshot. Paste them to the sub-folder Studio 4
    3) Relaunch DS General Release, load the Layout that you saved in Public Build. Then you DS General Release should have very same layout as the correct one in Public Build.

    Wow, many thanks, @crosswind, you really know a lot! I decided to switch to Public Beta, but this is really valuable information for every user!

  • crosswind said:

    Rod Wise Driggo said:

    crosswind said:

    y3kman said:

    crosswind said:

     

    Thanks. The product is now available for download. My suspicion was confirmed, though. The shape addon comes with a character preset that needs materials from the Toon Vicky 9 figure. Looks like it was supposed to be a permanent part of the bundle. It should've used the Base Toon G9 to avoid error reports from individuals who don't own Vicky.

    If my subscription expires and I decide to renew a few months later, will I still get access to previous Premier-exclusive items I added in my account?

    Which product ? You mean Dark Elf addon ? Where could you download it ?

    The Dark Elf shape addon is product 105315 and can be installed from Smart Content tab. To locate it, you can either click on the magnifying glass (Premier exclusive filter, key::dsp_exclusive) or sort your products by highest product ID.

    I totally forgot that I had already deleted Connect folder because Daz Connect had ever destroyed my custom metadata so I disabled it and never used it for years... Now I had to rebuid Connect folder, backup cms database, then check Update Metadata for a couple of seconds, then I got it ! Ha !

    Many thanks for the reminder !

    @Crosswind: Since I saw that Asymmetrical Cut swimsuit in your library. Does content you install via DIM (if you do) still show up in Smart Content?
    I have that Dark Elf Shape also available and installed it via Connect (Yikes!!!). But what bothers me is that the other stuff I recently (after activating Premier/installing 4.23 Beta) purchased and installed via DIM won't show up in Smart Content, always wanting me to install (again) via Connect. Although the content is there and accessible via the Content Library. 

    Yes, I installed the content via DIM and they still show in Smart Content if Log In with Update Metadata. You could not find them ? even filtered by key work or SKU number ?

    Daz Connect function has been fixed and improved in 4.23, here's the mechanism:

    - While Daz Connect Updating Metadata, it will check if the products you bought have been installed via DIM or not. There're 2 key data fields in cms database, is_installed and is_cound_owned . If already installed via DIM, it will keep is_installed = true, is_cound_owned = false, then tag an icon on the product thumbnail (white circle + triangle), shown in Screenshot 1 and 2. The thumbnail is still colorful, and the icon just tells you that the product has no content data in you local Daz Connect folder.

    - Now if you right-click on it, there's no Install option, shown in Screenshot 3. That's what Daz fixed it to prevent the product from "double-installation". IIRC, it could be installed again via Connect before.

    So, pls double-check your case ...

    Then something must have gone wrong with my installation.

    I've installed 4.23 beta (Mac) which is now additional on my system so I can run both 4.23 beta and 4.22 now.
    With both versions products I recently purchased and installed via DIM (e.g. Vicky 9 or that Asymmetrical Cut Swimsuit) are shown in Smart Content with B/W image and the Connect-Icon plus Install-Option altough those products are accessible from the Content Library.

    Don't know if related but in DIM listings these products have the database icon greyed out indicating that they don't come with additional meta-data?

    Any idea what I could do?


     

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,905

    mjmeyer said:

    I was not really surprised to find out that the owners of DAZ obviously also want a constant cashflow and not one mainly based on selling 3D models for their platform in addition to regular DAZ Plus membership subscribers like myself. Nearly every software company must (wants to?) follow the "Adobe way", when the latter money eater company opened the box of Pandora by introducing their pricey subscription models.

    How do you get that? A major selling point of Premier is increased discounts to encourage people to buy more 3D content, along with free bundles of and free exclusive 3D content

    Some comments in here claim that the running DAZ Plus subscription was prematurely ended, something which I cannot confirm for mine (still running till May 2025).

    There was a page error making it look as if membership had lapsed, but it hadn't - all member benefits remained in effect.

    At the moment, it looks like as for now, we have a free base plan: just use the free DAZ Studio (sooner or later possibly limited in functions), or else additionally subscribe to DAZ Plus in order to benefit from price reduction offers for new content (where tokens run out so quickly that you have to purchase a new item nearly every 3rd day), or else pay a monthly fee which considerably adds up to a hefty USD 227.76 annually in order to using a special version of DAZ Studio Prime and benefit from higher reductions, special bundles. For those who badly need it: why not? As long as we have a choice...

    Nothing has been removed from the free version of DS - indeed, new stuff - both application features and content - has been added.

    All members now get tokens that last for two weeks, it is not Premier members only. Again, an enhancement that benefits everyone.

    My main concern is: what about the many plug-ins which I purchased over the years? Will they still be working under DAZ Studio Prime, or will I be left alone by receiving answers like: "You purchased them at your own risk and we advise you to get in touch with the developers...". Since DAZ Studio workflow should improve when transferring stuff to Blender, I notice that Blender content makers and plug-in developers quickly react on new versions by updating their scripts and solutions, a fact which I cannot always confirm for plugins purchased for the DAZ platform.   

    Daz Studio Premier is Daz Studio Standard/Pro with extra plug-ins (and potentially extra features) unlocked by membership - it is not a different application.

    Having been a DAZ customer for 24 years by now and thus having gone through many changes and mostly improvements, I still wonder what the near future brings. One is for sure: the free stuff will be on a decline, and I don't mean the weekly freebies.

    That is not "for sure" - in fact it is flatly contradicted by this week's changes.

    By introducing a paid model for DAZ Studio, there might be some interesting development, who knows. As long as DAZ does not go crazy like so many businesses in the US these days and add a fantasy service tax or ridiculous tipping fees to each and every purchase, I think I can live with the present plans.

    Should they - on the other hand - eventually switch over to a paid only software model, it will be the moment for me saying good-bye to any future version like I did with ZBrush where the owners sold their business to the German Maxon company and now charge you quite a lot. Or Allegorhythmic's Substance suite, once a great indie firm, now belonging to the money eaters from Adobe. Not to mention the formidable landscape creation software from e-on/Bentley: Vue and Plant Factory. Sales and development were stopped immediately and the software was taken off the market, BUT: It was made available to be downloaded for free and with a perpetual license. That is nice.

    Daz is well aware of the power of the free application and base content in bringing in new users.

    As a hobbyist, I supported so many 3D companies, mostly independent or startup companies (including Pixar when they were still eperimenting with Renderman) by purchasing their products, upgrading for a moderare fee occasionally, but in the end I was somewhat disappointed to learn that they all sold their souls (and companies) to huge greedy firms and investors. The world is no longer for hobbyists and enthusiasts, unless you pay an arm and a leg for what used to be free or at least moderately priced. Let's hope for the best, here. 

     

  • crosswindcrosswind Posts: 6,973

    Rod Wise Driggo said:

    ...

    Then something must have gone wrong with my installation.

    I've installed 4.23 beta (Mac) which is now additional on my system so I can run both 4.23 beta and 4.22 now.
    With both versions products I recently purchased and installed via DIM (e.g. Vicky 9 or that Asymmetrical Cut Swimsuit) are shown in Smart Content with B/W image and the Connect-Icon plus Install-Option altough those products are accessible from the Content Library.

    Don't know if related but in DIM listings these products have the database icon greyed out indicating that they don't come with additional meta-data?

    Any idea what I could do?
     

    Ah... I just knew that you're a Mac user, however, I almost know nothing about Mac system. I did see some Mac user ever reported similar issues before and I used to be confused as even if systems are different (Win / Mac) but the design, development and logics of cms database as well as metadata should be same... But I really have no chance to experiment on a Mac system. I'm really sorry for that !'

    But still I can give you some suggestion:

    1) Dark grey database Icon in DIM means metadata have been successfully imported into cms database, but light grey means not... You can re-install the products to see if it'll fix the issue.

    2) Or, re-import metadata. Just try with one product first, for instance, 102742 Vicky 9 If it works with this one, it'll work for other products. Then re-import others... if re-installation in DIM won't work for you...

    For the above points, check this post : https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/8905896/#Comment_8905896

     

  • TesseractSpaceTesseractSpace Posts: 1,406
    edited October 12

    Richard Haseltine said:

    mjmeyer said:

    I was not really surprised to find out that the owners of DAZ obviously also want a constant cashflow and not one mainly based on selling 3D models for their platform in addition to regular DAZ Plus membership subscribers like myself. Nearly every software company must (wants to?) follow the "Adobe way", when the latter money eater company opened the box of Pandora by introducing their pricey subscription models.

    How do you get that? A major selling point of Premier is increased discounts to encourage people to buy more 3D content, along with free bundles of and free exclusive 3D content

    Some comments in here claim that the running DAZ Plus subscription was prematurely ended, something which I cannot confirm for mine (still running till May 2025).

    There was a page error making it look as if membership had lapsed, but it hadn't - all member benefits remained in effect.

    At the moment, it looks like as for now, we have a free base plan: just use the free DAZ Studio (sooner or later possibly limited in functions), or else additionally subscribe to DAZ Plus in order to benefit from price reduction offers for new content (where tokens run out so quickly that you have to purchase a new item nearly every 3rd day), or else pay a monthly fee which considerably adds up to a hefty USD 227.76 annually in order to using a special version of DAZ Studio Prime and benefit from higher reductions, special bundles. For those who badly need it: why not? As long as we have a choice...

    Nothing has been removed from the free version of DS - indeed, new stuff - both application features and content - has been added.

    All members now get tokens that last for two weeks, it is not Premier members only. Again, an enhancement that benefits everyone.

    My main concern is: what about the many plug-ins which I purchased over the years? Will they still be working under DAZ Studio Prime, or will I be left alone by receiving answers like: "You purchased them at your own risk and we advise you to get in touch with the developers...". Since DAZ Studio workflow should improve when transferring stuff to Blender, I notice that Blender content makers and plug-in developers quickly react on new versions by updating their scripts and solutions, a fact which I cannot always confirm for plugins purchased for the DAZ platform.   

    Daz Studio Premier is Daz Studio Standard/Pro with extra plug-ins (and potentially extra features) unlocked by membership - it is not a different application.

    Having been a DAZ customer for 24 years by now and thus having gone through many changes and mostly improvements, I still wonder what the near future brings. One is for sure: the free stuff will be on a decline, and I don't mean the weekly freebies.

    That is not "for sure" - in fact it is flatly contradicted by this week's changes.

    By introducing a paid model for DAZ Studio, there might be some interesting development, who knows. As long as DAZ does not go crazy like so many businesses in the US these days and add a fantasy service tax or ridiculous tipping fees to each and every purchase, I think I can live with the present plans.

    Should they - on the other hand - eventually switch over to a paid only software model, it will be the moment for me saying good-bye to any future version like I did with ZBrush where the owners sold their business to the German Maxon company and now charge you quite a lot. Or Allegorhythmic's Substance suite, once a great indie firm, now belonging to the money eaters from Adobe. Not to mention the formidable landscape creation software from e-on/Bentley: Vue and Plant Factory. Sales and development were stopped immediately and the software was taken off the market, BUT: It was made available to be downloaded for free and with a perpetual license. That is nice.

    Daz is well aware of the power of the free application and base content in bringing in new users.

    As a hobbyist, I supported so many 3D companies, mostly independent or startup companies (including Pixar when they were still eperimenting with Renderman) by purchasing their products, upgrading for a moderare fee occasionally, but in the end I was somewhat disappointed to learn that they all sold their souls (and companies) to huge greedy firms and investors. The world is no longer for hobbyists and enthusiasts, unless you pay an arm and a leg for what used to be free or at least moderately priced. Let's hope for the best, here. 

    This weeks changes, that you are using to defend this new suscription, were in the pipeline well before premier launched. We have no guarantee that daz will be the lone company to go against what happened every single time a susbscription tier has been added to software. This comes off more as a last hurrah for base tier and + folks before all the good stuff to come is premier only. Not uncommon, other companies have done similar, it keeps folk around till they either subscribe or realize that was all they're gonna get and leave.

     

    We have nothing more than "trust us" to go on regarding future developments. And I'm all out of blind faith in any business. A lot of folks have been burned by companies going subscription routes. Maybe Daz will be the first to not degrade the lower and free tier until it's worthless, but they shouldn't expect blind trust no matter how many shiny trinkets they throw around in the early days of the new plan. 

    Post edited by TesseractSpace on
  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,905

    TesseractSpace said:

    Richard Haseltine said:

    mjmeyer said:

    I was not really surprised to find out that the owners of DAZ obviously also want a constant cashflow and not one mainly based on selling 3D models for their platform in addition to regular DAZ Plus membership subscribers like myself. Nearly every software company must (wants to?) follow the "Adobe way", when the latter money eater company opened the box of Pandora by introducing their pricey subscription models.

    How do you get that? A major selling point of Premier is increased discounts to encourage people to buy more 3D content, along with free bundles of and free exclusive 3D content

    Some comments in here claim that the running DAZ Plus subscription was prematurely ended, something which I cannot confirm for mine (still running till May 2025).

    There was a page error making it look as if membership had lapsed, but it hadn't - all member benefits remained in effect.

    At the moment, it looks like as for now, we have a free base plan: just use the free DAZ Studio (sooner or later possibly limited in functions), or else additionally subscribe to DAZ Plus in order to benefit from price reduction offers for new content (where tokens run out so quickly that you have to purchase a new item nearly every 3rd day), or else pay a monthly fee which considerably adds up to a hefty USD 227.76 annually in order to using a special version of DAZ Studio Prime and benefit from higher reductions, special bundles. For those who badly need it: why not? As long as we have a choice...

    Nothing has been removed from the free version of DS - indeed, new stuff - both application features and content - has been added.

    All members now get tokens that last for two weeks, it is not Premier members only. Again, an enhancement that benefits everyone.

    My main concern is: what about the many plug-ins which I purchased over the years? Will they still be working under DAZ Studio Prime, or will I be left alone by receiving answers like: "You purchased them at your own risk and we advise you to get in touch with the developers...". Since DAZ Studio workflow should improve when transferring stuff to Blender, I notice that Blender content makers and plug-in developers quickly react on new versions by updating their scripts and solutions, a fact which I cannot always confirm for plugins purchased for the DAZ platform.   

    Daz Studio Premier is Daz Studio Standard/Pro with extra plug-ins (and potentially extra features) unlocked by membership - it is not a different application.

    Having been a DAZ customer for 24 years by now and thus having gone through many changes and mostly improvements, I still wonder what the near future brings. One is for sure: the free stuff will be on a decline, and I don't mean the weekly freebies.

    That is not "for sure" - in fact it is flatly contradicted by this week's changes.

    By introducing a paid model for DAZ Studio, there might be some interesting development, who knows. As long as DAZ does not go crazy like so many businesses in the US these days and add a fantasy service tax or ridiculous tipping fees to each and every purchase, I think I can live with the present plans.

    Should they - on the other hand - eventually switch over to a paid only software model, it will be the moment for me saying good-bye to any future version like I did with ZBrush where the owners sold their business to the German Maxon company and now charge you quite a lot. Or Allegorhythmic's Substance suite, once a great indie firm, now belonging to the money eaters from Adobe. Not to mention the formidable landscape creation software from e-on/Bentley: Vue and Plant Factory. Sales and development were stopped immediately and the software was taken off the market, BUT: It was made available to be downloaded for free and with a perpetual license. That is nice.

    Daz is well aware of the power of the free application and base content in bringing in new users.

    As a hobbyist, I supported so many 3D companies, mostly independent or startup companies (including Pixar when they were still eperimenting with Renderman) by purchasing their products, upgrading for a moderare fee occasionally, but in the end I was somewhat disappointed to learn that they all sold their souls (and companies) to huge greedy firms and investors. The world is no longer for hobbyists and enthusiasts, unless you pay an arm and a leg for what used to be free or at least moderately priced. Let's hope for the best, here. 

    This weeks changes, that you are using to defend this new suscription, were in the pipeline well before premier launched. We have no guarantee that daz will be the lone company to go against what happened every single time a susbscription tier has been added to software. This comes off more as a last hurrah for base tier and + folks before all the good stuff to come is premier only. Not uncommon, other companies have done similar, it keeps folk around till they either subscribe or realize that was all they're gonna get and leave.

    Premier will also have been in the pipeline before it launched (despite the issues) so I don't think that is an argument. Of courese we have no guarantee, but given what they are doing with Premier I really don't see that it is clearly a precursor to making the whole application non-free and rental. You are welcome to entertain doubts, but they should not be presented as established facts when they manifestly are nothing of the sort.

    We have nothing more than "trust us" to go on regarding future developments. And I'm all out of blind faith in any business. A lot of folks have been burned by companies going subscription routes. Maybe Daz will be the first to not degrade the lower and free tier until it's worthless, but they shouldn't expect blind trust no matter how many shiny trinkets they throw around in the early days of the new plan. 

  • TesseractSpaceTesseractSpace Posts: 1,406
    edited October 12

    Again you're asking us to have blind faith that Daz alone will do what no other company has ever done after moving to a subscription product. 

    Some of us have been burned before by companies going to subscription plans on their software. 

    Post edited by TesseractSpace on
  • maikdeckermaikdecker Posts: 2,752

    Richard Haseltine said:

    A major selling point of Premier is increased discounts to encourage people to buy more 3D content, along with free bundles of and free exclusive 3D content

    If the marketing department wants some feedback about that: They utterly failed to achieve that goal as long as I am concerned. D+FAD prices are way higher than a (longer) while ago and Premier is for people like me, who usually don't spend that much (for different reasons) utterly unattractive, due to the costly buy-in. Adding to that losing the "extra stuff" when one stops going the Premier way isn't that motivating inself.

    Whales might find Premier attractive, but they used to spend shipsload of money each month here anyway. wink

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,905

    TesseractSpace said:

    Again you're asking us to have blind faith that Daz alone will do what no other company has ever done after moving to a subscription product. 

    Some of us have been burned before by companies going to subscription plans on their software. 

    I'm asking you not to jump to conclusions.

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,905

    maikdecker said:

    Richard Haseltine said:

    A major selling point of Premier is increased discounts to encourage people to buy more 3D content, along with free bundles of and free exclusive 3D content

    If the marketing department wants some feedback about that: They utterly failed to achieve that goal as long as I am concerned. D+FAD prices are way higher than a (longer) while ago and Premier is for people like me, who usually don't spend that much (for different reasons) utterly unattractive, due to the costly buy-in. Adding to that losing the "extra stuff" when one stops going the Premier way isn't that motivating inself.

    Whales might find Premier attractive, but they used to spend shipsload of money each month here anyway. wink

    Obviously it is going to depend on how useful the various benefits are for each person, I am certainly not suggesting that everyone should pile into Premier.

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